Artist Statement
On Tears...
Tears is my response to American Imperialism. Crying, overwhelmed by the military industrial complex and lost in a void of quiet and uneasy despair, two cultural icons meet in tender sorrow. Caught on Panavision, the wordless conversation between singer Sierra Ferrell and painter Ozzie Juarez takes place in Andrew Yee’s eery cello soundscape. Tears drip down in reverence for an empire in free fall, a warming planet, endless war, genocide, mass extinction of flora and fauna, our self poisoning by micro plastics (a bi product of crude oil), uncertain and fearful futures, and mothers choosing not to bring babies into a world on fire...Look closely and see black oil dripping down where salt water should be.
Yet, Tears offers a hopeful, even medicinal, tearful catharsis. Wherever deep feeling exists; wherever human compassion and perseverance exist, there is hope for change. Crying is a divine channel for emotional release, and this cinematic endurance piece aspires to offer some peace and release to its audience. In our era of shortening attention spans, the 20:43 minute length of Tears is an intentional choice meant to challenge viewers to sit still for long enough to feel the full scope of their emotional landscapes.
I am an artist and mother of 3. My name is Zinzi Gugu Johnson and I am a Jewish South African American artist working at the cross section of music and visual art. I feel the moral obligation of privilege deep in my bones. Here, in my film Tears, crying is a loud, albeit wordless call to collective action. I know that the choices made by this living generation may be humanity’s last chance for an inhabitable Earth.
Let’s let deep sadness move us to change what we can and accept what remains.